The End is Only the Beginning
by chichirichick
Summary: FINAL CHAPTER UP! Warning: It gets a little sexual, so if you're annoyed by the idea of sex, back out now. Ed finally gets out of the alternate world, but can he make his life normal? Can he finally give into his feelings for Winry? WinxEd, EdxWin [th
1. Chapter 1

You'd never think that you could be walking into a trap when entering your own home. But I guess that you'd never think a boy would try to resurrect his mother, fail, practically kill his brother, and then eventually end up in another world. Sometimes, the world works in funny ways. So when I walked into my home and saw my father there, I never thought that all my years of work to bring myself back to Al would suddenly become meaningless.

"Goodbye, Edward."

"Dad?" Suddenly the bright red light appeared below me, making my heart practically stop. _Alchemy? How?_ But without another second of thought I was enveloped in black, and suddenly, the gate appeared.

I knew this place all too well, having been to the gate on many pleasant trips throughout my lifetime. But it was different somehow. My breath caught in my throat as it opened, but instead of those millions of devilish arms, there was only my mother, with her calm, glowing smile.

"Come home, Edward."

Though I wasn't walking, I moved closer and closer to her until I was in her arms. Her smell, her touch, it was all there, so real. "Mom?"

"It's time to go home, Edward." As she held me I began to feel drowsy without a struggle. I found myself drifting off into sleep in her arms like I had a million times before when I was a child.

The next thing I knew I'm staring up at a bright blue sky, feeling like I had just been hit by Winry's wrench a thousand times. Winry… I sat up fairly slowly, the blood pounding in my head. My heart stopped. It was the house. Or what was left of our house. I was back? I was back! I directed my attention to my limbs. Yes! All together! I flexed my hand, my real hand, and smiled.

I stood and wiped off my clothes, taking a breath of the real air, of my home air. Without thought, I walked to the cemetery, making my way from memory to Mom's grave. I sat in front of it and rested my head on the cool granite. "Mom… did you do this?" I fingered the letters of her name and for the first time felt something close to content.

I heard the noise behind me, like something dropped, and I froze. _The military? A homunculus?_

"Ed… Edward?"

That voice… oh, god, that voice… I turned quickly, but could not speak.

"Edward…" Winry's eyes were bursting with tears; the flowers that I suppose she had brought for my mother lay at her feet.

"W… Winry…"

"Oh, god." Winry ran for me, her body crashing against mine. "Edward!"

"Winry." I wrapped my arms around her slowly, painfully. If this wasn't real, I was going to have to kill myself. But her smell, her skin, it had to be real. Oh, please, this has to be real.

"Edward." She pulled away from me slowly, a smile on her face. "Where the hell have you been?" Suddenly, out of nowhere, her wrench appeared. I thought, maybe, after not seeing it for years, I'd be happy to see my good old metal friend. But after a dozen hits to the head with my old friend, I was really not that happy to see him. "You JERK!"

Same old Winry… so this had to be real. After my face had been properly bludgeoned, she let up, putting her wrench back into the strange void that she pulled it from. "Can't you greet me a little nicer?"

"You've been gone for three years and you want me to be nice?"

"Okay, okay!" I covered my head in hopes of saving myself from another flurry of blows. "Could you at least cut it out with the wrench?"

"And why should I?" The tears were erupting again and I felt my heart break. From our nice friendly banter to this?

I stood again, my head kind of pounding from my wonderful Winry greeting. "You have every right, Winry, to be mad at me."

"Damn right, I do!" Winry sent her fists flying into my chest, making me wish she had never gotten those muscles from being a mechanic. She grabbed the material of my shirt in her fists, putting her head against my chest. "You've been gone so long!"

"Oh, Winry." I decided that this would be primetime to hold her, considering she seemed to no longer be in the mood to beat the crap out of me. "I tried, I really did. I would never want to leave Al and… you all alone."

Her sobs escalated to the point were I started to think she was going to choke. "I can't believe… I can't believe you're here," she whispered.

"Yeah, neither can I," I laughed softly. I took her by the shoulders and pulled her away slightly. "Quit it, will ya?"

"You're still a jerk," she sniffled.

"Hey, Winry?"

"Yes, Ed?" Her eyes went wide and her breathing stopped.

"Where's Al?"

She shut her eyes slowly and looked away. "He's at Central."

"Central?" My throat practically closed up.

"After you… disappeared… he went with teacher to try to learn how to get you back and after a while he went to Central to ask for Roy's help."

"Damnit, Al." I gritted my teeth. "Then I guess I'm going to Central." I let go of Winry softly, my feet trudging quickly towards that damn train station.

"Edward, stop."

Her voice scared me. I had never heard that tone, the demand, from her ever before. "Winry?" I stopped and turned, looking right into her eyes.

"Tell me right now, Edward, and I want the truth."

"Winry?"

"You didn't really come back for me, did you? You only, only wanted to come back to Al."

"Winry…" I walked back to her slipping my hand into hers. "Let's go to Central, together."

--

"I'm sorry, kid, you can't see Mustang." I stared at the two assholes in uniform, my patience wearing real thin.

"What's the problem here, gentlemen?" Suddenly, Riza appeared. The answer to my prayers! I almost burst into laughter when her eyes practically busted out of her head.

"Hey, Hawkeye." I gave my signature goofy smile and pushed through the two imbeciles at the door.

"Sorry," Winry bowed her head slightly at the poor military dogs.

"Holy shit!" I froze immediately, not having really noticed the BIG difference in Riza's appearance. "You're pregnant!"

A thin blush spread across her cheeks. "Well, a lot has changed in three years. Come this way, I'm sure Roy will be more than happy to speak with you."

"Roy, huh?" I smirked as Riza flinched, probably trying to suppress another blush.

"Ed, take it easy on her," Winry pulled on my sleeve slightly.

"Yeah, or else her bun will fall right out of its oven!" Oh, the perfect joke. And of course, the perfect reason for Winry to yet again smash me on the head with her wrench. Joy.

Riza opened the door at the end of the hall, stepping in. "Roy, I-"

"Oh, Riza!" Without even noticing us Roy pushed Riza against the wall, ready to have a very scandalous moment with her. "How long did the doctor say we could keep having sex until this little thing is out in the world?"

"Roy…" Riza clenched her jaw and pointed over Roy's shoulder. "Could we not talk about this now?"

"Huh?" Roy turned his head, releasing Riza slightly. "Holy shit."

"I'm guessing you weren't expecting to see me?"

"Well, maybe if you dropped a letter by every now and then I wouldn't think you were dead." Roy turned completely around, finally giving Riza an opportunity to take a seat across the room.

"Well, there kinda wasn't a postal service around." I shrugged. "Now if you'll be so kind as to tell me where my brother is…"

"What, no 'I missed you so much, Roy!' or "Life was so hard without you, Roy!'?" He sat down next to the nearly-bursting-with-kid Riza, placing a hand on her knee. She slapped it off.

"I was really hoping I'd never have to see your ugly mug again, but sadly, Winry told me my brother was with you, so what was I supposed to do?"

"Hey, didn't you get taller?" Roy smirked. "You're just as tall as Winry now."

Winry giggled behind me and I frowned. "Could we not dance around the subject?"

"How about the two dear ladies leave the room and we'll talk?"

I shook my head sharply. "Winry doesn't leave."

"But she will, if I refuse to talk to you with her here."

"No-"

"Its okay, Ed, I'll go." Winry touched my shoulder and walked out of the room.

Riza stood and followed Winry out of the room. "Bye, honey!" Roy waved as Riza sighed and shut the door behind her.

"So when did this all happen?"

"Well, you know, when a man loves a woman-"

"Spare me."

"Riza and I married two and a half years ago. The baby is a seven month development." Roy shrunk into the couch. "But it's so hard! She won't even let me touch her, and with her big stomach it's so hard to have se-"

"Again, spare me."

"Well, you should know all about that, being away from Winry for three years. You must have one bad set of blue bal-"

"Winry and I aren't-"

"You really are more of a kid than I thought you were," Roy grinned.

"Ha. Ha. Why don't you tell me what I really came for?"

Roy shrugged. "The kid's probably in the State Alchemist library, as per usual."

"And you had to send Winry out of the room for _that_?"

"I wanted some alone time with my favorite alchemist!" Roy pretended to swoon.

"You're the biggest idiot on the face of this planet." I began to walk for the door.

"Hey, Ed."

"What is it?"

"Well, two things, I guess."

"Well? I don't have all day."

"One: welcome back. And two," he smirked, "Hit up Winry while before she gives up on you."

--

"Aw, Riza looked so cute!"

"Yeah, bursting at the seams is so adorable." I rolled my eyes and sighed.

"You're always out to kill the mood," Winry pouted.

"Yeah, well, I promise I'll be excited about the baby, later, but first, I need to find Al." I walked up the steps of the library, my heart practically exploding. I walked into the library and started screaming, Winry frantically tugging at my sleeve to stop me. "Alphonse! Alphonse Elric!"

"Huh?" Exactly like I had pictured, Al stood up from behind a barricade of books.

"Alphonse…" His face turned ghostly white as I walked towards him. He was shivering as I wrapped my arms around him. "Al, it's okay, it's me."

"Brother!" Al practically crushed me with his arms.

"Hey, Al, air?" I squeaked.

"Sorry," he laughed softly and let go of me. "How did you…?"

"How about we talk about it later, okay?"

"Fullmetal?"

"Huh?" I turned around to see Maria Ross standing there.

"Ross! You taking care of my brother?"

"Mustang asked us as a personal favor." She placed her hand on Al's head.

My eyes' bugged out of my head. "You're pregnant, too!" I hadn't noticed her large bulge until she'd turned to touch Al. I could feel my eye twitching.

Maria laughed softly. "Denny is chasing our first kid around the library as we speak."

"You married Brosh?" I swooned, grabbing onto Al for support.

"You should just be thankful Al's not pregnant." Winry snuck up behind me and clutched Al, laughing.

"Ha. Ha."

--

Al and I sat on the couch, both of us staring into the wall. "Dad sent me back."

"Dad's alive?"

"In the other world, yes."

We were silent for a long time and I kept wracking my brain as to whether or not I should expand on the subject of the other world. "I'm glad you saw Winry first," Al whispered.

"It was an accident."

"It tore her apart when I came home and you didn't."

"Don't exaggerate."

"I'm not!" Al turned to me. "She cries every night! When you didn't come home she wouldn't eat for a week!"

"Come on, Al. You're making too big of a deal out of this." I looked into his eyes and smiled, but he did not smile back.

"Men from town would come by. Remember Tyler Mosley? Or Thomas Darby? They both asked her to go out but she would say no every time."

"Yeah, that's because those guys are idiots! Of course Winry wouldn't waste her time with them."

"She would say she was waiting for someone."

My heart leapt into my throat. "Waiting?"

"Don't tell me you're still that thick headed."

"Alphonse!" I hissed.

Al laughed softly. "Ed, you know it's all over now. There's nothing to take care of anymore… except this."

Al was right. Everything was finished. We had our bodies back, our world was fairly stable. But Winry. I swallowed hard. For the first time in a long time, I was scared out of my wits.

--

I woke up to the sound of the door opening. It was still pitch-black, but I could make out her face even if I were blind. "Winry?"

"I had a dream… you had disappeared."

"Sorry, Winry, still here." I smiled softly.

"I'm sorry for waking you." She went to turn and leave but I caught her attention with the clearing of my throat.

"Come here, Winry."

"Ed?" She nervously stood in the doorway. "Why?"

"Come on, Winry; just come here, will ya?"

She walked slowly to my bed side, standing there.

I pulled away the sheets and scooted over in the bed. "Get in."

"I can't sleep in your bed!" She seemed almost indignant.

"We did it when we were kids. You, me, and Al would pile into bed all the time."

"We're not kids anymore, Ed," she whispered, her head hanging down.

"Just get the hell in, Winry."

She opened her mouth to argue but slipped into bed instead, curling into a tight ball at the side opposite of me.

"Jeez, Winry. I won't bite." I slipped an arm around her stomach and pulled her back to me chest. She was so tense I was afraid she's have the wrench out any minute. "Now we'll sleep like this, and this way, you can be sure I'm not going anywhere."

"Okay."

She remained tense only for a few more moments. I just lay there, watching her chest rise and fall, her hair cascading across the pillow. I couldn't bring myself to sleep while she was lying there, so perfectly fitting against my chest. Hours must have passed before my eyes even felt tired. Finally, when I was about to let them close, she whimpered.

"Ed, don't go… don't leave me, please, Ed… don't go…" I could feel her breath quicken as she began to sob in her sleep.

I sat up slightly, freeing my arm to smooth her hair. "Sh, Winry, I'm not going anywhere."

"No, Ed… Please… I just want you to stay…"

"Winry, I'm staying with you, I won't go." I pressed my cheek softly against hers, and took her hand. "I'm here, Winry. I won't go anywhere without you ever again."

"Thank you, Ed…" She relaxed again, her sobbing stopping. "Thank you… Edward… I love you so much…"

--

I woke up the next morning and she was still there, her nose right up against mine. Winry's warm breath was cascading across my lips and I could feel the goose bumps rising on my arms every time she exhaled. I tilted my chin slightly, my lips practically touching hers.

The door slammed open, sending me into a panic. "Good morning!" Al walked in, his arms raised high. "Brother, time-" His eyes went between Winry and me for a few minutes, his eyes wide as balloons. "Brother! What are you doing?"

Winry's eyes opened, reading the look of terror on my face. "Ed, what's wrong?" She sat up slowly and her eyes finally met Al's. "Al! Shit!" She fell out of the bed, scooting on the floor a few feet from the bed.

"Al, it's not what you think…" I got out of bed and helped Winry to her feet.

"Sure it's not." Al smiled coyly.

Both Winry and I stood there, flustered. We both began to explain, our words garbling together, making Al practically fall to the ground laughing.

"I'll just leave you two alone." Al waved and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.

"Winry, I'm sorry."

"No, it's okay." Winry's face was bright red, causing me to laugh softly. "What are you laughing about?"

"Nothing!" I turned around and began to make the bed. Before I knew it, I received a hard kick to the rear, sending me face-first into the bed.

"Jerk!"

I turned over on the bed and laughed. "Come on, Winry, give me a break."

Winry sat down on the bed next to me and gave me an elbow to the stomach. "Maybe you shouldn't laugh at me, then."

"Yeah, yeah." I touched her arm softly and she jumped, looking at me in disbelief.

"Stop being stupid." She pulled her arm away and glared at me.

"I can't, it's an innate gift."

"Well, I'm going to go change." She stood up and walked for the door. She hesitated. "Hey, Ed?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you… Thank you for last night."

--


	2. Chapter 2

We had spent two months in Central. It was more time than I would have liked, especially with that ass Mustang visiting every other day, but Al wanted to finish up some research before we left, so I obliged him.

Mostly that meant Winry and I home alone for vast amounts of time. I didn't think spending time with my childhood friend could be more uncomfortable. During the day she seemed to avoid me, but at night she would come and sleep in my bed. It killed me how every night, like clockwork, she would cry and beg in her sleep. And every night I would hold her and promise the same thing over and over again. And she would say it every time, that phrase that sent a chill down my spine. "I love you, Ed."

One night she walked in and stood at my bed.

"Hey, Winry, get in." I scooted over as I usually did.

She didn't move to get in like she usually did, but instead, with one quick movement, slipped off her night gown, her naked body gleaming in the moonlight.

"Winry?" I choked. This has to be a dream. Has to be. No way this could be real!

"Do you think I'm pretty, Ed?" She looked down at her body nervously and then back into my eyes.

"Winry?" Okay, so the tightening in my boxers was real.

"Because you've never touched me…" She slipped into bed now, except she faced me. Winry took my hand and placed it on her breast. "Won't you touch me?"

Oh boy. Well, forget this being a dream. I rubbed my thumb gently around her nipple, casing a sigh to escape her mouth. I trapped her sigh with my mouth, crushing my lips against hers. I turned Winry onto her back and pinned her, continuing to ravage her mouth.

Suddenly, she tugged on my boxers, sending them to my knees. Though I was thankful for the relief from pressure, I stopped. "Winry, what are you doing?"

"Please, Ed." She tried to bring me back into a kiss, but I kept my head back.

"Winry, are you sure you want this?"

"We're the only ones left, Ed." She sighed and bit her lip. "Riza and Roy… Maria and Denny. Why can't we be like that?

"They're adults, Winry."

"We're adults, too, Ed." She laughed softly. "We aren't kids anymore. We sleep in the same bed every night now. You weren't expecting this?"

I'd be lying if I said I hadn't had dream about this. "No, I was." I kissed her softly and sighed. "But I have to make sure you want this."

"Yes…" She pulled me back down on her and our lips met again. I slipped my boxers down my legs and off. It seemed like we took hours exploring each other's bodies before I was finally in her. We rocked together, rhythmically, hushing cries and letting others go. After half an hour, we ended, sweaty and spent.

"Thank you, Edward."

I collapsed on top of her, my lips gently meeting her neck. I was so pathetic. I could do this for her, but not admit the feelings that were seizing in my chest. "Winry?"

"Yeah, Ed?"

"Let's go home, soon, together."

"What about Al?"

"Al will come back when he wants to. There are just things I want to do at home."

The door opened, causing me to almost have a heart attack.

"Brother?" Al was standing there, rubbing his eye like a little kid.

"What's up, Al?" I was hoping my face wasn't as red as a tomato.

"Mustang just called. Riza's gone into labor."

"Okay, go get dressed and we'll go over to the hospital."

"Okay." He walked away, leaving the door open.

"Perfect timing," I huffed. I leaned back down and gave her one last kiss.

"Let's go." She slunk out from beneath me and slipped back into her nightgown.

Within ten minutes we were all ready, heading out of the door and to the hospital. Upon arrival, you could hear Riza's voice over everything else in the building. They could have dropped a bomb and Riza's cursing still would echo over the boom.

"Roy Mustang, you bastard!"

We sat down in the waiting room, me starting to get a headache from the noise.

"If you want another baby, you're having it!"

It went on like this for hours, until silence erupted. Suddenly, Roy burst through the door, standing in that stupid victory pose of his author's note: think of his pose during the speech about miniskirts in the military. "I have an heir!"

"To what? Your massive collection of stupidity?" I smirked, but his gleam did not falter.

Winry and Al went full throttle into congratulatory mode and made a b-line to see the baby and Riza, leaving just me and Mustang.

"You know, Fullmetal," he started, taking a seat next to me, "Birth is a wonderful thing."

"Riza didn't seem to think so."

Roy laughed softly. "Yeah, she probably won't speak to me for a week."

"So, what's his name?"

"Maes Hughes Mustang," his face fell slightly.

"I'm sure he would have liked that."

"When he died, I just started thinking that all humans were good for was killing. I constantly blamed myself for his death." He looked at me, and for the first time, he looked weak, pained. "All that I wanted led to the death of those I loved."

"Or the deaths of innocent people," I reminded him, the image of Winry crying over her parents replaying in my head.

"Yes." He looked down at his hands and sighed. "But, now, I've learned humans can create life. I've created something. I've created something far more beautiful than I ever could have imagined. And now, I really do believe in equivalent exchange."

I remembered Dad at that moment… when he had told me that equivalent exchange was a lie. Could all that pain and suffering be worth one beautiful thing?

Suddenly, Winry appeared in front of me, taking my hand. "Come on, Ed, come see the baby."

I stood and touched the side of her face gently. "Equivalent exchange…" I whispered as I leaned in, giving her a chaste, soft kiss. I still wasn't sure. Could equality be reached? Was everything being back to normal Al and my reward for all the pain we went through? But what did Dad give up to send me back? My head was spinning with all the unanswered questions swimming in my brain.

"Edward, come on," she breathed across my lips.

I snapped out of my trance. "Yeah."

We walked together down the hall, stopping at a room with large glass windows. I wrapped an arm around Winry's waist as she pointed eagerly towards one of the babies. Yup, it was Mustang's kid. Same smug face, same ugly black hair. Luckily, the kid got Riza's eyes.

"Aw, I so want one," Winry crooned.

"Don't worry; we'll have plenty, Winry." I froze. Yup, that did just come out of my mouth.

"Edward?" She turned around in my arm and stared at me, her eyes wide and brightly blue. "Did you… just…"

"Ah…" I laughed nervously. Yes, I did. "About that, Winry… uh…" I sighed hard and rubbed my free hand over my face. Now was as good a time as ever. "Winry… I love you. I've loved you since we were kids. And I'm sorry I never really showed it, but I do. I love you so much, Winry Rockbell."

"Edward…" The tears were streaming down her face, but I was expecting that wrench at any moment. Thankfully, instead of the wrench, she kissed me softly on the lips and threw her arms around me, erupting into loud sobs. "I love you, too, Ed."

We stood there for an eternity, me just cradling her in my arms as she cried. One beautiful thing, huh? That's what all this suffering is for? One beautiful thing? I think Mustang got it wrong. All the suffering, the pain, what it gives you is life. That's equivalent exchange. And if I had to go through all that and end up with my brother and I in our original bodies and Winry Rockbell in my arms, I say I got a pretty damn good deal.

--

Arigato, kids, for reading the fanfic. It's my first FMA fic, but IT WILL NOT BE MY LAST! Since I have a sick, sad obsession with the idea of a hidden romance between Winry and Ed, you'll be hearing a lot from me, so check back!


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